Not after the hits - and the walks, and the shaky defense - just kept coming.

For the RailRiders, it was a rare night, comparatively speaking. But it was one of those nights every team faces: One that appeared headed for a convincing loss.

Durham rocked right-hander Shane Greene for runs in each of the first three innings, and the RailRiders' season-best six-game winning streak went down with a whimper in a 9-2 loss in front of 5,098 fans at PNC Field.

The result never stood in much doubt, as Durham had a 2-0 lead after the first inning and broke the game open with a three-run third that put the Bulls up by six against Greene, who struggled to find his fastball command throughout his three-inning outing.

He retired the first two batters he faced in the first inning, but Durham piled up four consecutive singles. Kevin Kiermaier started it with a bouncer to right. Wilson Betemit then hit a sharp grounder that caromed off the back of Greene's left foot and shot into right field, sending Kiermaier to third. Back-to-back sharp hits by Jerry Sands and Vince Belnome brought them both in, and the rout was on.

A Cole Figueroa sacrifice fly in the second made it 3-0, but for Greene, the big damage was done in the third inning, which easily was the sloppiest inning the RailRiders have put together all week.

Veteran Ray Olmedo bounced into what should have been the inning's second out. But first baseman Kyle Roller hesitated, looked to second, then decided to make a fast flip to first. But it was out of the reach of Greene, allowing Belnome to score. Two batters later, shortstop Hak-Ju Lee had the second of his three hits.

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A line drive double to right that plated two runs and made it 6-0.

The RailRiders didn't go down without securing some chances to make a game of it, though.

Jose Pirela started the third inning with his second homer of the year, a long shot that almost short-hopped reliver Cesar Cabral as he warmed up in the RailRiders' pen. They left the bases loaded in the frame before Durham starter Matt Andriese pitched out of it.

Greene allowed six runs, although only three were earned, on eight hits in his three innings. He struck out two but also walked four, and Cabral didn't help him much. The left-hander threw more than 50 pitches, allowing three runs in the fifth inning before Jim Miller and Robert Coello settled things down.

The RailRiders' only other offensive threat came in the sixth. Right-hander Jake Thompson surrendered a leadoff single by Adonis Garcia, and two batters later, Hazleton native Russ Canzler roped a double to left that brought Garcia around from first. But they never had another legit chance with less than two out to put together another rally the rest of the way.

One of those nights teams have in baseball.

One of those nights the RailRiders just haven't seen often lately.

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